Digital Marketers Focus on Social Hires in 2011

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As brands and agencies continue to expand their digital-focused staff into 2011, many of those new hires will be in the social media and marketing space, according research issued today by the Society of Digital Agencies.

The organization's 2011 Digital Marketing Outlook report surveyed 199 brand marketers, 235 agency representatives, and 233 marketing technology-related professionals, and found 68 percent of respondents intend to increase the number of digital staff in their organizations this year, up from the 57 percent that did so in 2010.

Respondents also reported a significant portion of those hires will be in social media and marketing, as marketers continue to allocate increased budget to the medium. Fifty percent of agency staff said they intend to hire social media marketing professionals in 2011, while 49 percent and 39 percent plan to increase resources in social community management and social media monitoring resources, respectively. The only area topping social roles for agencies is website design and development, the research suggests.

Brand marketers, meanwhile, also view more social media-related roles as a priority, with 31 percent of respondents planning to increase social media marketing staff this year and 22 percent intending to invest more heavily in social media monitoring.

Source: SoDA 2011 Digital Marketing Outlook report

In terms of overall hiring trends, agencies appear to be expanding their digital capabilities most aggressively, with 86 percent planning to hire in 2011, up from 75 percent that did so in 2010. Fifty-four percent of brand marketers also plan to expand their digital staff compared with 42 percent that did so the previous year, although 4 percent also plan to reduce their headcount.

Source: SoDA 2011 Digital Marketing Outlook report